Process of manufacturing fatty acids and glycerin.



UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST TWITGHELL, OF WYOMING, OHIO.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FATTY ACIDS AND GLYCERIN.

N 0 Drawing.

To all gvhom it may concern Be 1t known that I, ERNST TWITCHELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at- Wyoming, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Manufacturing Fatty Acids and Glycerin, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process of treating fats and oils in the manufacture of fatty acids and glycerin.

The object of the invention is to produce substantially pure products, without any appreciable dlscolorations resulting from the components of the saponifying hydrolyzing reagent. l

.The process in'its general aspect is substantially that described in my prior Patent, No. 601,603, dated March 29, 1898, except thatinstead of employing a sulfo-fattyacid, or a sulfo-fatty-aromatic acid as the saponifier, I use a grayish powder which may be designated as a salt of sulfo-fatty aromatic acid, containing the active saponifier in pure and relatively concentrated form,

which salt, when administered tothe fats and oils in connection with such an acid as sulfuric, is readily reconverted into the sulfo-fatty-aromatic acid, which produces the saponifying reaction, the metal component of the salt entering into combination with the sulfuric or other suitable acid and forming a combination which can readily be separated, either as an incident to the saponifying process, or at a later stage in reclaiming the glycerin. It is to be understood that this saponifying reagent is an article of 'commerce, the composition and characteristics of which are described and claimed in my application for Letters Patent,.filed Jan. 29, 1913, Serial No. 744,820.

To exemplify this process, assume a boiling charge of 10,000 pounds of fat and 5,000 pounds of water. The saponifying powder is, say, specifically a barium salt of naphthalene-sulfo-fatty-acid. To said given charge administer, say 50 pounds of the powdered reagent and at the same time add from 25 to 50 pounds of say, sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid combined with the barium component of the salt, forming an insoluble precipitate which can readily be separated out, while the naphthalene-sulfo-fatty acid component will be liberated in pure, relatively concentrated condition and produce the saponifying reaction. The powdered Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 30, 1913, Application filed January 29, 1913. Serial No. 744,819.

saponifier vehicle is substantially colorless, so that it does not discolor the fatty acids, and as the reagent contains no naphthalene sulfonic acid and the barium is precipitated out, there are no deleteriousby-products to lmpair the purity of the glycerin product.

It is to be understood that the metal component of the'saponifier holding salt, may be combined with the acid used to liberate the active saponifier in the form of a precipitate, insoluble in the solution, in which case it can be at once separated out, or it may form a soluble combination relative to the solution, capable of forming an insoluble precipitate with the reagent (such as lime) used in treating the glycerin water in which case it would be separated out incidentally to the glycerin reclaiming step.

The metal component of the saponifier holding salt is preferably one of the alkaline earth groups or earth metals, such as aluminum, and in the saponifying process it is preferable to use such an acid as will form an insoluble precipitate 'with the specific metal of the salt, so that it can be easily and "saponifier, and as a result of-administering the saponifier holding salt in a condensed and powdered condition, I have found that the resultant products are of a much better quality than the resultant products from the process of my saidprior patent and that the process can be more etficiently and cheaply worked through the employment of ifaihe salt of the sulfo-fatty-aromatic saponi- Having described my invention, I claim 1. The herein described process of treating fats and oils for the manufacture of fatty acids and glycerin, which consists in heating and agitating the fat with water and adding a relatively small percentage of a metallic salt of a sulfo-fatty-aromatic acid, together with an approximately prouniting with the metal component of the saponi'fier salt, the sulfo-fatty-aromatic acid being liberated in ure, concentrated condition, producing t e saponifying reaction, agitating and heating the charge until the fatty acid and glycerin components of the charge are separated, recipitating and separating the metal component of the salportionate amount of an acid capable of ponifier holding salt; and finally separatingthe resultant products of the saponification.

2. The herein described process of treating fats and oils for the manufacture of 'fatty acids and glycerin, which consists in boiling the fats and oilswith Water, treating a saponifier holding metallic salt of a refined and concentrated sulfo-fatty-aro matic acid with an acid capable of uniting With the metal component of the saponifier holding salt, treating the heated fats and oils with the liberated actiye concentrated and refined saponifier, precipitating and separating out the metal component of the ,saponifier holding salt,--;a-nd-- separating the 15 products of saponification. In testimony whereof, I. havehereunto set my hand.

ERNSTTWITGHEL-il. Witnesses:

OLIVER BJKAISER," LonisngA. Bison. 

